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I have the same issue with my sl 1200 mk5s i slightly adjusted the top screw on the tone arm and it has been working fine since..... If you do decide to adjust it MAKE SURE U DON'T LOOSEN IT TO MUCH. Only a hair at a time

More than likely your tonearm was damaged in transit. A common issue, especially if you had it in a flight case and not properly tied down, or tied down too tight. You will need to replace the tonearm. Tonearms for this unit are available HERE. Word of caution, do not attempt to replace the tonearm yourself, as it is rather difficult, and you could cause more damage. You'll need to find a reputable repair center in your area. Contact Panasonic - UK for a service center near you (Panasonic is the parent company of Technics).

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There are two reasons this will happen first the stylus is so worn it can't stay in the record groove. The second is there is not enough pressure being applied. Generally each cartridge will have it's own required weight. You can look up the model number of the cartridge to see what this is. To set it right however is sometimes a trial and error procces. At the end of the arm is a weight. You should see some numbers on it. You turn this to the number advised for the cartridge. This might be around 1.5 to 2. Then you try a record. If it stays in the groove and there's no rumble sound then you have right. If it's not staying in the groove increase the weight from say 1.5 to 1.8 and retry. Keep doing this till it stays in the groove. If you get to much rumble decrease the weight - again slowly and test like before.

If it keeps sliding in one direction, it probably needs an anti-skating adjustment or to be put on a level surface. If it jumps all over, the stylus weight is probably too light or the surface it's on isn't stable enough.

This is often a problem when you are using a 78 needle on a 45 or 33 record. Some needles can be flipped, so check to see if yours is able to flip between the 78 and 33 setting. If not, you may simply need a new one.

The stylus should either just clip out or slide out depending on the type of cartridge fitted. On the weight thing look at the other end of the arm. It should have either somekind of screw or a weight with numbers on it. Slacken the weight and move it so the head where the cartridge is gets heavy. If it has numbers turn it to around 2 or 3 or higher and test/adjust using a record till it plays and doesn't make too much rumble sound when playing (in the gaps with no music) with both types of weight.

Hi the pennies will mess up the stylus. There should be an anti skate setting at the back of the turn table, a round adjustable bit with numbers, increase the anti skate and then use the balance weigth (weight right at the back of the arm that turns to get the weight right. Set the anti skate with the tone arm light, then increase the weight a bit. Hope that helps

If your needle just started to skip across the LP, then that means your stylus is damaged/worn and needs to be replaced. It's very hard to see the diamond tip on the stylus, and it might not even be there at all. So checking it might not yield any results. This is what happens when the needle is worn. It will skip across the record.

There are two main things that will influence the anti skate settings.

1) The Headshell Weight and Balance
Firstly, check the data sheet for the cartridge and stylus you are using. It should tell you the correct weight setting which will vary from one cartridge and stylus to another. If the stylus is set too light, it can skate across the disc. This can damage the disc and the stylus. The sound will also be thin and it is likely to distort on high frequencies. If the weight is too heavy, it will not jump but will definitely damage the disc.

If you are a serious vinyl user, get yourself a tone arm balance. This is a device that you place on the turntable and you rest the stylus on a plate which is marked in micrograms. You place the stylus exactly at the correct weight marking and then make adjustments to the turntable settings until the tone arm is balanced. It's easier than it sounds!

If you don't have the data sheet for your cartridge and stylus and cannot find it online, use an old disc that you don't mind damaging, set the weight on the light side and gradually increase the weight until it stops skating.

2) Platter Levelling
Secondly, you need to make sure your turntable us on a level surface. If you are a purist, use a spirit level. to do this.

There are other things that can cause skating and jumping, especially if you use the turntable as a DJ. For example, vibration (caused hopefully by dozens rocking to your music). DJs will often increase the headshell weight very slightly to overcome this and I have sometimes placed the turntables on a thick rubber sheet such as carpet underlay to improve shock absorption.